In 2015 Wayne State University was awarded nearly $1 million to train social work and nursing students to assess patients in primary care settings for substance abuse behaviors. The program trained students and professionals in Screening Brief Intervention Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). Over the course of three years, over 800 students and health care professionals were trained in SBIRT. Read more

Wayne State College of Nursing Assistant Professor (Clinical) Umeika Stephens and Social Work Assistant Professor Anwar Najor-Durack served as co-Principal Investigators on the SBIRT grant. Associate Professor of Nursing and Fulbright Scholar Feleta Wilson, was originally the co-Principal Investigator in Nursing but stepped down after the first year of the project due to an illness. Wilson passed away January 2019. The success of this project was in large part due to Wilson's hard work and dedication. 

The SBIRT grant was supported by several organizations with individuals who served on the SBIRT Advisory Committee. These included: 

• Chippewa Valley Coalition for Youth & Families 
• Health Research Center, College of Nursing, WSU 
• Detroit Recovery Project 
• National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence 

Although the Wayne State SBIRT grant ended in 2017, continued support from Wayne State's Opioid Workforce Expansion Program (OWEP) and the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program (BHWET) has ensured the sustainability of our training efforts.

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant number for this award is 1H79T1025966. 

Acknowledgements

• Anwar Najor-Durack, PhD, LMSW; Suzanne Brown, PhD, LICSW; Umeika Stephens, DNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC – Continued support for the Wayne State University SBIRT training program and content expertise
• Allison Herrst, LLMSW – Lead course designer
• Katherine Oleksiak, MSW and Eric Shimmel, LMSW – Coordination and project management
• Betsy Vanderstelt, MSW – Website design and marketing
• Scott Arndt – Technical assistance
• Mike Herrst, Shade 94 Productions LLC – Technical assistance
• Togotiki – Technical assistance and web hosting